PS5 Slim revision reportedly adds a swappable CMOS battery
A teardown report finds a PS5 Slim revision with a replaceable CMOS battery and PS5 Pro-style cooling. What changed, why it matters, and how to spot one.
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Sony appears to have quietly built a new PS5 Slim revision, and the change most owners will care about is a coin cell battery you can actually replace. Polish console technician Modyfikator89 posted the findings on X on September 30, 2026, after opening a Marvel's Wolverine Limited Edition console, and Video Games Chronicle reported them on October 2. Sony has said nothing about it.
Key takeaways
- A technician who opened one Wolverine Limited Edition PS5 Slim found a new motherboard, labeled EDM-051, with a replaceable CR2032 CMOS battery.
- He also reports a simpler layout, a different heatsink, a newer and cheaper HDMI retimer, and liquid metal containment closer to the PS5 Pro's.
- The revision is not confirmed by Sony as of October 3, 2026. It rests on one opened console and has no published heat, noise or reliability measurements.
- There is no known way to tell a revised unit from the box. The Wolverine edition is the only model anyone has shown carrying the new board.
What the PS5 Slim revision changes
In his first post, Modyfikator89, who describes himself as a console and controller technician with 20 years of service work, lists what he found on the EDM-051 board compared with earlier Slim boards:
- a different motherboard layout, which he calls "redesigned and simplified";
- a replaceable CR2032 battery, the coin cell that keeps the console's clock running;
- a revised cooling system with a "PS5 Pro-style liquid-metal interface";
- a noticeably different heatsink construction or material;
- a newer HDMI retimer, the chip that cleans up the video signal on its way to the TV, which he describes as lower cost and more optimized.
In a follow-up post, he compares the board with the 2025 Slim revision, which had already received improved cooling. The area around the main processor looks different, he says, and the new protective surface "seems to expose less area directly to the liquid metal". Liquid metal is the metal-based thermal paste PS5 consoles use between the chip and the heatsink. It also conducts electricity, so keeping it contained matters. His wording is careful ("appears", "seems"), and he published photos, not temperature readings.
Why a reachable CMOS battery matters
The CMOS battery keeps the PS5's internal clock running when the console is unplugged. On earlier PlayStation models, iFixit noted in its PS5 Pro teardown that the battery sits under the main board, so changing it meant taking almost the whole console apart. The PS5 Pro moved it to a spot you reach by removing a single screw. The technician's report suggests the Slim is heading the same way, though his posts do not say how many screws or panels now stand between you and the cell.
Coin cells wear out with time, so the longer you keep a console, the more likely you are to need a new one. A battery behind a cover is a quick job; one under the motherboard is a teardown that most owners would pay a repair shop for, with the liquid metal cooler in the way.
What happens when the battery dies
Early in the PS5's life, a dead CMOS battery was a preservation worry, because the console used its clock to check game licenses. Sony fixed most of that in 2021. According to PlayStation LifeStyle, tests by YouTuber Hikikomori Media after system software 21.02-04.03.00 found that disc games and digital games you own still played with the battery dead or removed. The exception was PlayStation Plus games, which need the console to confirm your membership.
So today a dead cell mostly means a console that loses its clock when it loses power, and PlayStation Plus games that may refuse to start. Being able to swap that cell yourself is still the difference between a quick fix and a repair job.
How to tell if you have the revised PS5 Slim
For now, you mostly can't. The only console shown with the EDM-051 board is the Wolverine Limited Edition, which the PlayStation Blog lists as a Digital Edition bundle at US$649.99, released September 15, 2026, in limited quantities. Whether standard PS5 Slim units on shelves now use the same board is unknown.
Nobody has published a box marking, model number or serial range that identifies the revision, and Tech Times notes that the box carries no sign of it. If you are shopping for the new board specifically, the Wolverine bundle is the one known bet, and that is based on a single teardown.
What happens next
The open questions are whether the board has spread to regular Slim production, and whether the cooling changes make a measurable difference. More teardowns from repair shops would answer the first; temperature and noise testing would answer the second. Sony has not commented. If you own a Wolverine edition, the console is the same game machine either way: the new QSSR upscaling in Marvel's Wolverine runs on every base PS5, old board or new.
Bottom line
The PS5 Slim revision looks like a quiet, sensible fix: a CMOS battery you can reach, tighter liquid metal containment and a cheaper HDMI chip. It is a community teardown of one console, not confirmed by Sony as of October 3, 2026, so don't pay extra for a specific unit on the strength of it. If long-term repairability matters to you, watch for more teardowns before buying, and follow our video games coverage for updates.
FAQ
Does the PS5 have a CMOS battery?
Yes. Every PS5 has a CR2032 coin cell that keeps the internal clock running while the console is unplugged. On earlier models it sits under the main board, according to iFixit; the PS5 Pro and, reportedly, the new Slim board put it within easier reach.
What happens if the PS5 CMOS battery dies?
Since a 2021 system update, testers found that disc games and digital games you own keep working with a dead battery. PlayStation Plus games are the exception, because the console needs to confirm your membership.
Is the new PS5 Slim revision worth waiting for?
Not on current evidence. The changes come from one technician's teardown with no performance or temperature data, and there is no reliable way to pick a revised unit off the shelf.